What if the SEC dropped divisions in football?

At the recent SEC spring meetings in Destin, Fla., the men's basketball coaches went to the athletics directors and presidents and suggested the time had come to end divisional play.
There were seasons in which the West was stronger than the East and vice versa. Ranking the teams 1 through 12, the coaches suggested, was the more appropriate way to approach things.
The coaches argued that ranking from top to bottom for the SEC tournament not only rewarded the teams that turned in the best performances during the regular season, but it put the league in a stronger position for earning NCAA tournament berths.
The ADs and presidents agreed and next season, the top four teams will earn the byes and the league will rank teams for the conference tournament from 1 through 12, just as it always has been for women's basketball.
What would happen if the SEC's football coaches came up with the same suggestion?
Would the league be better served by having its top two teams, regardless of divisional affiliation, play in the SEC Championship Game?

Certainly having the division champs play for the crown has often been the right call. That was true at the end of the 2009 regular season, when the country's No. 1 and No. 2 teams, Florida and Alabama, played for the title.
But a year later, when Auburn played South Carolina, the Gamecocks weren't the second best team in the SEC. Some might even argue the Gamecocks weren't the fifth-best team, even though by record that's the worst ranking they would claim.
If using league records and non-divisional play, Auburn would have played Arkansas in the title game. Considering the high-scoring game the Hogs and Tigers played in the regular season, that matchup might have made for a crazy title game. It probably would have been a more competitive game than the Auburn-South Carolina matchup produced.
Tradition might prevent the subject from ever being considered. For sure, the current system -- the SEC has produced the past five national champions -- has been successful. What's good for one sport might not work for another.
This is not a call for change, but more a subject for discussion.
And if nothing else, it makes for an interesting discussion.